Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-07-16

San FRANcIsco, July l5th.-The taking of
testimony was resumed before an examiner
in the United States Circuit Court, Sawyer
Judge, at 10 a. N. yesterday.
T. Mcguire was recalled, and General
Carey asked him if he had ever been pres
ent at the clean-ups of the Golden Bull,
Angel or Lowell Hill mines. He replied:
No, sir; and never mined on section T."
Thomas Patterson, the next witness, said
he was 63 years of age and had been en-
gagged in the business of mining since 1852.
He commenced mining at Lowell Hill,
thirty-four years ago. In 1858 he bought
into mines on section IL, and commenced
working in No. /, and continued oper-
ating that mine until 1862. Have resided
in that locality ever since. Am not much
acquainted with Steep Hollow creek. There
was lots of mining done in that creek be-
low section Z. 1t was generally the belief
of miners that there were no mines on sec
ton I. Those who tried TO mine on that
section would work few days and then
leave. This, of course, they would not
have done had they been recompensed.
The reputation of the place was that it
would not pay. Witness said he was ac-
quainted with the Lowell Hill mine, and
gave little description of its workings
prior to 1864. He also knew the Mammoth
Spring tunnel, and had on one occasion
been employed as an underground sur
yeyor to locate the workings for air shaft
purposes. The Mammoth Springs broke
through and almost destroyed the
tunnel, and he had not been in
IL
in that mine as being fine sandy gravel,
and it is not reputed among miners to be
gold producing. a person can "get the
color in the gravel, but that is no indica-
ton that it is ''pay dirt" He was well ac-
quainted with the western portion of sec
ton Z. Was well posted regarding the
working of all the mines that have been re-
ferred to in this case. and the tunnels in
the mines from Lowell south to Liberty
Hill. The channel in which the paying
gravel deposit was formed comes down
from Remington Hill through Lowell Hill
and passes on to Liberty HILL going en-
tirely to the west of section Z. In his opin-
ion as a miner, and his knowledge of the
topography of the country and the general
surroundings of that locality, he did not
believe there was pay channel extending
through section I, or any part of it. Wit
ness was civil engineer and had often set
up his level at Lowell Hill to see himself
and to show others that the channel at
Remington Hill was a part of that at Low
ell. Here the two points are distant about
one mile, having been cut through by
Steep Hollow creek, which now is several
hundred feet below. The grade of the bed
rock, taking the average fall as indicated
by the workings below, confirm all practi-
cal miners in the belief that it is one and
the same channel
On cross-eXamination witness said in
early days mines were sometimes num-
bered, and in this way the first mine, being
first location, was numbered No. l."
This mine was located vested of the
straightforward. He had but little knowl-
edge of mining done on Steep Hollow creek
on section Z. The mining on Steep Hol-
low, above the forks, was not profitable, for
no one stuck to it. Parties who mined
there left in disgust, saying there was MOTH
ing in it. Mined from 1858 to 1861 on
Lowell Hill in No. l. For few wears it
paid very well, and as long as it could be
hy1raulicked it was worked with profit.
Witness gave an interesting history of the
early mining in that section, especially of
the first three tunnels run into the gravel
deposit, which were known as the " Blue
Lead the Gallynipper," and the Ship
mate" He also gave a description of the
miners were of the opinion that the entire
section of country for miles around was
mineral. Developments have proven to
the contrary, and section I is one of the
places which cannot be classed as mineral
Mr.. Skehan, the prosecuting witness in this
case, is the only one left there now
Mr.. Patterson said that in 1864 he sur
veyed a farm of 160 acres for John Duffy
near the center of section I. Duffy lost
leg in the mines, and thought he could
earn a better livelihood at farming.
This was before the Government surveys
were made. Duffy cultivated a small por-
ton of his place, raising crop of hay upon
it for couple or three seasons. The work
ings of the Skehan mine are all on section
II. The Planet mines workings are all on
the sections south and west of 7, and it has
been abandoned for several years
John Reagan was next sworn. He is So
years Of age and resides at Lowell Hill.
Went there in 1854, and bought into the
Macy and Blue diggings on section H.
The Golden Bull Company ran their tun-
mel into section to find paying lead, but
did not succeed. They quit running in that
was nothing in it. The Swamp Angel has
been good mine. All their workings are
on section ~. The Sacramento & Bear
River and the Planet mines, worked some
years ago, have long since been abandoned
The Planets workings are on II. Witness
never found good diggings in Steep Hollow
creek, in section I. A shaft was sunk near
the center of 7 to prospect for gravel,
but none was found. They found lots
of lava and an abundance of water,
but no gold-bearing gravel The soil
is good on nearly all portions of the sec
ton. Grain and all the fruits can be sue
cessfully grown here. When witness first |
saw the section it was thickly covered with |
fine growth of timber. Witness said, in |
his opinion, no channel run through sec
ton Z. 1t came down from Remington |
Hill, through Lowell Hill down to Liberty |
Hill and on to the Polar Star, at Dutch |
Flat.
The next witness was James Green, |
practical miner, go years of age. He had |
been engaged in mining in California since
:: the days of 40" and had worked in the
Galena lead mines for ten years prior to his
coming to California. Most of the time
since his arrival IN this>State he resided at
Remington Hill and in that neighborhood
His testimony was entirely corroborative of
witnesses Uren, Hill, Patterson and others,
that there is no mineral on section I ]; that
the channel passed to the west of the sec
ton: that the land is agricultural, not
mineral.
MlCuaei Cheldu, q COuSiu Oi tue prose-
cutting Witness practical miner 45 years
of age, was the next witness. He had
most thoroughly prospected section 4 had
sunk shafts upon it, mined all around it,
and was as positive as any man could be
that it was not mineral. He also adhered
to the story, which to him was a self-ev-
dent fact, that the channel runs to the west
of I.
James Philips said he had been mining
in that section more or less since 1853.
There never was any mineral found in
paying quantities on Z. He had worked
on the Swamp Angel and other mines, and
gave description of the ancient washings
dating back for 80 years. Says he is IA
miliar with the developments made by the
various tunnels in section u, and from
these development has always believed that
the channel therein exposed came from
Hill. crossed the creek near the
trail and extended into the mines upon
which these tunnels are extended, thence
on to Lowell Hill. That in his opinion
there is no channel extending into Sec
ton I.
On DISCRIMINATION he said that he al
ways entertained the same opinion he does
now as to whether or not subterranean
channel extended into section T. That he
doas NOT think II was the general opiniOn